Victimization

Self-control and Victimization

Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University

Key Findings

Self-control is a small but consistent predictor of victimization.

The effect of self-control was found to be stronger when predicting non-contact victimization (e.g. online victimization).

The effect of self-control was found to be reduced in studies that control for risky behaviors specifically.

Description

In the article, “Self-control and Victimization: A Meta-Analysis,” Fox and her co-authors examine the role that self-control plays in victimization. To conduct their study, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of 66 studies, which represented 102,716 individual cases, found through electronic database searches of journal articles. The results showed that self-control is a small but consistent predictor of victimization. The effect of self-control was found to be stronger when predicting non-contact victimization (e.g. online victimization). The effect of self-control was found to be reduced in studies that accounted for risky behaviors specifically. The researchers noted that this study is not representative of victimization research as a whole because intimate partner violence, violence against women, and child abuse are understudied. In conclusion, the authors note the need for future research to expand on the link between self-control and coping as well as individual’s autonomy in victimization.